IDC: Why Developer Interest Is Important
IDC: Why Developer Interest Is Important by UCStrategies Staff
2013 will certainly be an interesting one for the mobile industry. The battle for dominance will continue between incumbent players Apple and Google, and other competitors will struggle even more to build high profits. Microsoft, Research In Motion, Nokia, HTC and Motorola, key older players, will have to strengthen their games if they are to stay in the game.
Last week, 10 top predictions for the information technology industry in 2013 were released by International Data Corp (IDC), an analyst firm. One predicted point is that if RIM and Microsoft do not generate greater developer interest in their mobile platforms, they will have a coming reckoning in the mobile industry.
Significance of App Developers
IDC states: “The market power of these competing platforms – iOS, Android, Windows, and other mobile software platforms – will depend completely on the ability of each platform to attract large numbers of application (app) developers.”
The quarterly report in terms of mobile services company Appcelerator (which is presently of interest to developers) for each mobile platform, is then cited by IDC. The smartphone and tablet from Android and the iPad and iPhone from iOS are currently the key holders of developer interest; Windows (33 percent) and BlackBerry (9 percent) follow very far behind.
The report states: “IDC predicts that either of these two that fail to crack the 50% barrier [in developer interest] by the end of 2013 will be on the gradual track to demise for their platform. Expect some potentially radical changes to Microsoft Windows and Windows app pricing and licensing to help juice up Windows’ attractiveness to mobile app developers and mobile device users.”
Getting Their Attention
Through the use of incentives, Microsoft has persistently attempted to gain the interest of developers; they have done this by offering free development tools, paying developers outright and building apps for its platform, amongst other provisions.
In the interest of profit, developers seek-out larger and leading companies (like Android and iOS). The increase in Windows Phone sales from Nokia and HTC, Microsoft's manufacturing partners, will be advantageous and push the standing of the latter company. However, the boost needs to be significant and impressive enough that it will attract the attention of developers.
The Microsoft interest rate for Windows 8 and other relevant operating systems currently stands at 33 percent from developers, and is therefore better positioned than Research In Motion for the 2013 year.
Over this last year, RIM has attempted to gain the focus of developers across the globe through the upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform. North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America have all been visited by the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour in a bid to promote products and services. It is evident through this move that RIM understands the value of developer interest.
Last week, BlackBerry World was announced as the new and rebranded title in place of its BlackBerry App World. Incentives have also been introduced by RIM, again to entice the interest of developers, and particularly those who transfer to build for the BlackBerry 10 platform.
The first 1,000 developers who hand in applications for review are being offered free BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha devices by RIM (who is working with Appcelerator). Around 10,000 other developers will also be able to get Appcelerator Cloud Services and Analytics through RIM for one year, and this will be completely free. Titanium, Appcelerator's development platform, is also accessible by BlackBerry app creators, and both companies demonstrated integration last week in Thailand.
A survey of developers was recently commissioned by RIM in which the results were encouraging. For example, eight percent of developers questioned thought BlackBerry was their main development platform, which presents an increase of five percent.
These findings may offer some hope to RIM, but they are nowhere near satisfying the 50 percent developer interest threshold which IDC proposes is needed to reduce the risk of the company failing. When RIM releases its BlackBerry 10 in January next year, interest will certainly spike, and it will soon become clear whether RIM has done enough to restate its once dominant position in the market. (CY) Link